Do literacy rates have a bearing on the amount of Islamic fundamentalism i.e. Islamism in countries like Egypt? Little more than half the country’s adults are literate. While the male literacy rate is higher than the female rate, I would bet most of the crazy people causing trouble over there are the illiterate males. Islam attracts the most stupid and ignorant segments of any country. It appeals to the most stupid and violent males’ desire to kill people who don’t agree with them and subjugate women.
No. That’s the way liberals look at the situation; they think that increased literacy will eradicate fundamentalist Islam. It does not. A highly-organized group like the Muslim Brotherhood could not get by through having a low literacy rate. In fact, the more people read into the Koran, the more radicalized they get (look at the former Cat Stevens).